1898. In Cuba, future president Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders wage a victorious assault on San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War. 1961. “I think the biggest disease this world suffers from in this day and age is the disease of people feeling unloved. And I know that I can give love.” Britain’s Princess Diana is born Diana Spencer near Sandringham, England. The charismatic Diana drew worldwide fame and tabloid headlines before her death in a Paris car crash at age 36.

1997. In Asia, Hong Kong returns to Chinese rule after more than 150 years as a British colony. China’s Communist leaders promise to let Hong Kong keep its capitalist ways and civil liberties for the next 50 years.

And 2004.I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuseActor Marlon Brando, stage and silver screen legend, dies in Los Angeles at age 80. Among his roles, A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, and The Godfather.

Today in History, July 1st. Camille Bohannon, the Associated Press.